United States Attorney Susan Lehr has announced the extradition of Abiola Kayode, 37, from Nigeria to Nebraska. He faces charges related to a Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud Indictment filed in Omaha in August 2019. Kayode was apprehended by law enforcement authorities in Ghana in April 2023 following a U.S. request for extradition. Subsequently, Ghanaian authorities complied with this request, handing over Kayode to FBI special agents who transported him to Nebraska. His initial court appearance took place on December 11, 2024, where United States Magistrate Judge Michael D. Nelson ordered his detention pending trial.
Kayode is accused of involvement in a business email compromise (BEC) scheme that allegedly defrauded businesses out of more than $6 million between January 2015 and September 2016. According to the indictment, co-conspirators impersonated company executives using spoofed email accounts and directed employees to make wire transfers under false pretenses.
The indictment further claims that Kayode provided bank account details used by co-conspirators to receive the fraudulent transfers. These accounts were often linked to victims of internet romance scams who were manipulated into transferring funds.
Several of Kayode's alleged co-conspirators have already been convicted and sentenced. Adewale Aniyeloye received a sentence of 96 months' imprisonment and was ordered to pay restitution exceeding $1.5 million in February 2019. Pelumi Fawehinimi was sentenced to 72 months' imprisonment with restitution obligations surpassing $1 million in March 2019. Onome Ijomone faced a sentence of 60 months after being extradited from Poland, while Alex Ogunshakin received a sentence of 45 months following his extradition from Nigeria.
"Four years ago, we identified six Nigerian nationals suspected of defrauding individual victims and businesses in Nebraska and other states of millions of dollars," stated FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel. "Today, Abiola Kayode is the second of those co-conspirators to be extradited to stand trial in Nebraska." Kowel emphasized the commitment of the FBI and its partners to dismantle cyber-criminal groups targeting U.S. citizens.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation into this case with assistance from the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs for securing Kayode’s extradition.
It is important to note that an indictment is merely an allegation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.